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Government of Canada connects over 3,700 students to green jobs

News release

Students to gain meaningful work experience in parks and other natural settings across Canada

July 18, 2018 Thunder Bay, Ontario Employment and Social Development Canada

Building a strong middle class means giving Canada's youth the tools they need to find and keep good jobs, including in the green jobs sector, with employers that help reduce the consumption of energy and raw materials, limit greenhouse gas emissions, minimize waste and pollution and protect and restore ecosystems.

Today at the Thunder Bay Centennial Botanical Conservatory, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, highlighted funding of over $26 million through the Green Jobs in Green Spaces program, helping create 3,725 green student job opportunities across Canada.

The following paid opportunities are being rolled out through the summer and fall 2018 and summer 2019:

Project Learning Tree Canada will provide a variety of employment opportunities for 1,150 students across nine provinces in areas like natural resource management, conservation and environmental research;

Project Learning Tree Canada (in collaboration with Canadian Parks Council) will provide jobs for 638 students in provincial and territorial parks across the country;

The Canadian Parks and Recreation Association will provide green job placements for up to 1,200 students in municipalities, Indigenous communities and other parks and recreation sector organizations across Canada, allowing them to advance their green priorities;

The United Nations Association in Canada will create summer jobs for 400 students in parks and natural settings across Canada to broaden their environmental understanding and ignite Canada's green economy;

The Nature Conservancy of Canada will provide 16-week internships for 175 students across 10 provinces to help achieve its nature conservation objectives;

Evergreen will provide 162 students with summer work experience in green sectors across 10 Canadian regions, in places like municipal parks, schools, community centres and city day camps.

Almost 100 students are working in and around the Thunder Bay area, including in the Indigenous Youth Ranger program run by Outland Camps, which focuses on connecting Indigenous youth to opportunities in the forest and conservation sectors.

Quotes

“Canada’s young people are not just the leaders of tomorrow—they are leaders today. That’s why our government is ensuring more young Canadians get the skills and training they need to succeed. Our Green Jobs in Green Spaces program is giving students great opportunities for paid, meaningful work experience in green sectors like parks, conservation, and research, from coast to coast.”– The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour

“PLT Canada’s mission focuses on educating youth and inspiring them to become forest and conservation leaders. Thanks to ESDC’s contribution through the Green Jobs in Green Spaces program, SFI has been able to facilitate the placement of a diverse group of more than 450 youth in green jobs across 9 provinces in Canada so far this year. Ensuring youth are engaged and encouraged to pursue careers in the great outdoors will be critical to the future of Canada’s forests. This program is inspiring leadership in forest management, creating partnerships with Indigenous and conservation groups, and instilling passion for science-based research and education.”– Kathy Abusow, CEO, Project Learning Tree Canada

“Employing youth in Canada’ s national, provincial and territorial parks ignites extraordinary benefits — for community economies that are anchored by parks tourism, and for inspiring lifelong careers in conservation by experiencing firsthand meaningful and fun work that helps all Canadians enjoy the environment for our health and well-being.”– Dawn Carr, Executive Director, Canadian Parks Council

“The Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) is pleased to partner with the Government of Canada in the Summer Work Experience Green Jobs Initiative. Thanks to this partnership, much needed financial support will be provided to municipalities, Indigenous communities and other sector organizations, allowing them to advance their green priorities and create new green summer jobs for youth. CPRA will directly support the creation of 1,200 youth green jobs in communities across Canada in 2018 and 2019 and through this program will build a generation of youth that will value nature close to home and potentially pursue an opportunity to build a career in the green job sector.” – Cathy Jo Noble, Executive Director, Canadian Parks and Recreation Association

“UNA-Canada is proud to partner with the Government of Canada (or Employment and Social Development Canada) to provide meaningful work-integrated learning opportunities for Canadian students. With their work focusing on important sustainability initiatives across the country, these youth, and their disciplined employers, are accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals across Canada, and directly contributing to the future prosperity of Canadians. UNA-Canada will continue to ensure our Canada Green Spaces youth gain valuable employment skills that will launch their 21st-century careers upon graduation.”– Scott Bohachyk, United Nations Association in Canada

“The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is committed to inspiring and training the next generation of conservation leaders. We are also passionate about connecting Canadians to nature. Thanks to a significant contribution through ESDC’s Green Jobs in Green Spaces Program, NCC is providing 175 internship opportunities over two years, right across the country. Our interns will get career-relevant experience while supporting essential on-the-ground conservation work, from research to species inventories and habitat restoration. They will also play a lead role in delivering public education and engagement activities”– Nathalie Zinger, Executive Coordinator of Conservation Engagement, Nature Conservancy of Canada

“Evergreen is excited to be creating new youth employment opportunities with funding support from Employment and Social Development Canada,” said Geoff Cape, Evergreen CEO. “These new and diverse positions help make cities flourish by connecting Canadians with green space in both rural and urban environments.”– Geoff Cape, CEO, Evergreen

Quick facts

Each year, the Government invests over $330 million in the Youth Employment Strategy. Budget 2016 announced an additional investment of $339 million over three years. This was followed by an additional investment of $395.5 million over three years in Budget 2017. These investments are helping:

o more than 33,000 vulnerable youth develop the skills they need to find work or go back to school;

o create 15,000 new green jobs for young Canadians; and

o provide over 1,600 new employment opportunities for youth in the heritage sector.

Budget 2018 announced an investment of $448.5 million over five years to the Youth Employment Strategy.

Total funds committed over two years for the six Summer Work Experience Green Jobs projects: